It is interesting you would reference lpsage/cgirt and then give out erroneous/false information. I can guarantee there is no Coleman Grill with even remotely similar burners, but if that is your claim please link to the coleman model you are referencing? The Virco burners are identical in every way to other high end units. Same gauge, same stainless construction (probably the same OEM part).

Interesting 'bbqjones' would mention quality, please be specific on how the quality of workmanship is lacking?? Virco is no more perfect then any other high end grill, but workmanship is definitley its strongsuit. Heavy guage 100% 304 stainless steel construction with seamless welding and Virco even ground down corners, added a SS skirt at the base, and and double wall SS construction where others skimp. Heavy duty SS rotisserie, SS grill rods, and the list goes on.

http://www.grillstuff.com/webgolcgasgr.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Virco Link

The burners have a warranty of 5 years. I'd say it's a good guess they weren't designed for less than 2.

You need to go look at the Weber, Lynx, DCS and you will know exactly what I'm talking about. Why is the "Heavy Gauge" SS lid on the Virco not even close to being as heavy as the above mentioned lids. You get so much discoloration because the double wall on the hood is short on the front and he space between the walls is very small providing minimal insulation. The burners are rolled thin sheet SS not cast SS which means the seams will eventually go bad. The fit of the doors and lid are sloppy and the side burner "looks" cheesy. The valves and stems are also inferior quality having way to much play. A five year warranty on an all SS grill is a joke. All of the above grills carry 25 years to lifetime warranties on all SS parts including the burners. As I said the Virco looks nice and is half the price of the DCS and Lynx. It serves to impress the unknowledgeable neighbor but it is far from a quality piece of equipment.

Why are youpeople so defensive. If you like your grill that is all that matters. All i'm am saying is that I was dissapointed in the actual grill after all the good things I had read on this forum. It just wasn't what I was hoping for and my opinion is that the Weber Gold C is a better buy even though it doesn't look nearly as good. Are folks allowed to have opinions that differ from others on this forum??? Peace

Peace brother, and I am sorry if we are so defensive bbqjones. We have seen a bunch of attempts by lspage under various names to spread misinformation on this grill for his own amusment and some other psychological issues.

BTW, I have seen DCS, and I would argue the lid on the Virco is just as heavy (how much heavier would you need?) It does not discolor at all. Are you sure you saw the correct grill? The Kirkland brand was also available at the same time. The burners are identical to the most of the high end units, would pictures prove this point? You can see burner picks at allgrills.com (other brands you mention). The fit is excellent on everything except the knobs (I agree on those feeling loose, but it can be fixed somewhat by spreading the ends going into the knob). What is wrong with the fit on the doors? They are as perfect as you can get (at least on my unit). Maybe the one you saw got dropped. I don't get the comment on the side burner, but to each his own.

I appreciate an honest analysis, hopefully you understand us being a little gunshy after the antics of lpsage.

...I realize pictures won't solve all disputes here. I had also looked at units in person. I think we could show burner pictures on the high end units identical to Virco (to show construction). Also, same guage. I do strongly believe you are mistaken there and someone with enough ambition can dig up specs to outline that.

bbgjones.... As for me, not defensive - I just didn't fathom any of your other comments because they were so far from my impressions and mostly - experiences.

We physically looked at most every brand of stainless grill (went to Expo twice), poked, prodded, lifted lids, etc. and I honestly don't remember any lid feeling heavier than the Virco. In fact, I felt many were lighter. I also dissagree on Virco's brass sideburner. And especially the fit & finish.. That's one thing that impressed me about it. The doors being in perfect alignment. The lines are perfect where the doors close. I'm neurotic about stuff like that. The knobs on mine are not wobbly in any way.

Yes, my grill discolored. It discolored because I had (3)-20,000 BTU burners going at full blast with the lid closed for many many hours. I was burning the crud off/cleaning it and totally forgot (I know - pretty stupid). I solved this problem by.. um... cleaning it. Looks like the day I bought it.

The one at the store where I bought mine looked pretty crappy too. Took me 2 days before going back to have another look. Knock wood that I did, because as soon as I uncrated it & fired it up I said to myself "what was I thinking - I should have bought this on the spot".

So I wouldn't call it defensive, I'd call it a reaction to something said that is totally foreign to my experience.

And doesn't this Weber have 36,000 BTUs to the Virco 60,000 on the bottom and non-stainless grates? Don't know.. I'm thrilled with it so far after 2.5 months of service. Cooks so nice & even.

Anyway, good luck with your Weber.

For anyone who hasn't seen the virco yet...

{{gwi:1389728}}

The new Weber gold has a SS lid and cooking grids. The Cust Serv people at Weber told me that while high BTU's usually mean high heat that low btu's can reach close to the same heat if burners are designed as such. The weber gold will consistantly reach temps of 600+ at the grate. Of course they would like to sell a Weber. Choosing a Grill to be has become far more complicated than I ever dreamed of. Since seeing the responses to my post, perhaps the Virco on display was beat up and abused during setup. No telling how many people have prodded it or how many kids yanked and pulled doors . Perhaps I need to reconsider. Thanks for all your input.

Yea - the one in my store was all scratched up, knobs pulled off, grates strewn, coffee cup on lid, shelf/handles not attached, doors crooked & loose, side burner askew/not complete, etc. It did give me the overall impression of crapiness & it was hard for me to mentally/subconsciously get past it. Add to that the bigness of the costco warehouse/lighting - it did make a difference in the impression. Went home and told DH to check it out. He came home empty handed and wasn't all gung ho to buy it either. We took 2-3 days of more research till I went back, viewed it more objectively and bought on the spot. LOL I actually had tears in my eyes driving home because I was so excited & happy I did. I'm still kicking myself for vascillating because I could have lost out on the opportunity. My store hasn't gotten in any more since the first of May. Granted - it's darn pretty, but IMHO I don't think that prettiness is just skin deep. I.e.; those doors are doublewalled - some of the MUCH more expensive models I've seen had just a thin single sheet on the doors. If you end up getting one - fair warning.... That sucker's HEAVY.

I have one of those high end barbecues (Thermador CGBD48RSBX) It has stainless steel burners. I did not want the cast iron burners - over the last 30 yrs I have gone through 4 barbecues with cast iron burners. I have had my Thermador for 2 yrs now. I love it.

I would have bought the Virco if Costco was selling it 2 yrs ago. Would have saved me a lot of money. The BBQ at Sams club does not even interest me at all.

When you consider that the average stove gas burner is 10,000 BTU's or less, the higher BTU multiple burners of most grills are usually plenty. Temp at the grill is important for searing, but for best cooking results you don't want extreme high temps for the whole duration anyway.

The unpacked Virco grill at my local Costco got very beat up in the 2 weeks it was there. All the knobs were removed, and all appeared to be broken when they attach to the shaft. Likewise, coffee cups and other debris was tossed on the grill, etc.

meagain,
Discoloration is not unique to the Virco. My wife's brother came to our cookout on the 4th and was amazed at my purchase. He owns a Viking that cost over 4 X's the Virco. He also gets discoloration on his hood when the temp is very high for extended periods.

bbqjones - Did you get a grill yet? Got an update on the process?

delray,
Have you actually compared the burners and other internal parts? This was my only concern about my purchase. As for the quality of the construction, etc., I have looked at many upscale grills and found the quality of the Virco to comparable. In fact, some of the grills in the $2,000 range had flimsy doors and hoods.

I just compared the burners, and there are various types of burners as noted but for this type (stainless steel tube type) the guage is the same (although there are a few different shape configurations, the Virco-type is the most common and undoubtedly an OEM part, see the pics at all.grills.com or go out and take a look for yourself). I did not see thicker SS on the higher end units and if someone (besides the latest incarnation of lpsage aka chilidawg) wants to point out a guage difference, I'd like them to reference the model (not just brand) as the burners of this type are similar if not identical.

I just would not be worried about burners failing. It aint gonna happen. As far as the other components, well its really all pretty standard, simple stuff (outside of the SS cabinetry). Just knobs, wires, ignitors, etc. which could all be serviced by many equivalent parts if it came to that. I'm just happy that I got such a great value. The most expensive component is undoubtedly the assembled SS cabinetry, hood, etc.

PS. 16 guage is what I believe they were. Tube, U-shape burners. Dacor had a different shape but same thickness and build. Napolean, Alfresco, Thermador, and DCS, FrontGate OEM, and Williams and Sonoma all the same (give or take one), U-shaped burner. There was one that said "cast". but in looking, if there is a significant difference between cast and rolled, It was not obvious (I don't think they "cast" in one piece regardless). Someone can do more research, but I am very satisfied that the burner type is very standard and am positive the Virco guage is the same as the others I compared.

I came to the same conclusion.

We do not have cosco down here in florida that I know of. Is it like a Sam's Club, or like a wallmart?

** do they make this for built-ins into a counter top?

I have looked on the Costco web site and they don't list a Virco grill...is the Kirkland the same thing? I don't see the same model that Meagain posted.